Flowers in a Jar
by Charlie's Angel 3890
Summary: The team travels to NYC to meet up with some detectives, leaving behind Larry, Amita, and Alan. No major character deaths... but a lot of drama ensues once the case gets tougher. Wanna find out why? Then read it!
1. Prologue and Chapter One

**NUMB3RS/Law and Order: SVU Crossover – "Flowers in a Jar"**

**Chapter One**

_Copyright notice:_ I don't own anybody except Marie Shaw, Dr. Gracie Barnes, Leah Marie, and Charles Tanner. But if you're selling CBS or NBC characters, I'll take Charlie.

Prologue

Don Eppes looked up, gazing into his curly-haired brother's deep, chocolate brown eyes. "What happened? Wh-where am I?" he asked, just now noticing that he was hooked up to an IV drip, among other things he didn't recognize.

"Hospital," replied the younger Eppes brother, as he filled in a 3 on the advanced-level Sudoku he was working on.

Chapter 1

Suddenly, the sound of file folders hitting a desk woke the F.B.I. agent out of his dream. _Or was it a nightmare?_ he wondered.

"Hey, sleeping beauty," joked fellow agent David Sinclair. "We've got a new case…from New York. The others are looking over it in the other room."

Groggily, the agent followed his partner into the meeting room. "Coffee?" asked Megan Fleinhardt, the team's forensic profiler. About ten months earlier, Megan had married Don's brother Charlie's best friend and fellow professor, Larry. Now she was seven and a half months pregnant with their first child.

"Please and thank you," Don replied. She handed him the coffee, and he put a heaping spoonful of sugar into it. He could tell right away that it was Colby's month to buy coffee. Megan always brought Maxwell House, David bought Folgers, Colby brought Nescafe, and Charlie went all out and bought Starbuck's. And Don? He supplied sugar, cups, filters, and milk.

"According to the information we received," Colby began, "there's been a rash of kidnappings. The kids abducted range from 4 to 13 in age. So far, a few people claim to have seen them, but there's nothing solid."

"There's no connection that we've established yet," continued David, "unless Charlie can come up with anything."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on," Don said. "First, when are we leaving? Two, why are we stuck with some New York case?"

"To answer your questions," Megan replied, "we – as in you, David, Colby, Charlie, and myself – are leaving tomorrow on a private jet, all expenses paid. Second, the sixteenth precinct requested our assistance."

"We need to be at the airport by 7:45 AM," David added. "Our flight is at 9:00."

"Okay," said Don. "And don't worry about driving to the airport tomorrow. I'll pick everybody up."

"Thanks," David said.

"No problem," Don said.

And with that, the team decided to call it a night. They each walked to their respective cars, except Megan, who walked over to Larry's car.

"And how is my beautiful wife?" he asked, helping her into the car.

**Author's Note** - I realize that it's not long, but I'm working on more chapters. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**NUMB3RS/Law and Order: SVU Crossover – "Flowers in a Jar"**

**Chapter Two**

_Copyright notice:_ I don't own anybody except Marie Shaw, Dr. Gracie Barnes, Leah Marie, and Charles Tanner. But if you're selling CBS or NBC characters, I'll take Charlie.

Chapter 2

Don accepted his father's invitation for dinner, and the family sat around the dinner table, where they were just finishing.

"So, Charlie," Don said. "How'd you break your ankle?"

"Actually," Charlie said, "my ankle and three toes. But I went hiking today with Amita and Larry, and, not looking where I was going, I tripped over a tree branch, which sent me midair for a few seconds, and came down on my ankle and toes."

"And much to Charlie's chagrin, Larry and I took him to the E.R," Amita added.

"So," Don said as he took a bite from his chicken alfredo, "the detectives called us, and via webcam, they told us about the case."

"Okay," Charlie said, slurping a noodle.

"Apparently," Don continued, "a young child's remains were found in a park, and there's possibly a connection between that and a recent number of kidnappings."

"Don, if I may interrupt: does this have anything to do with the 1989 disappearance of Scott Green?" Amita asked.

"Actually, Amita, that was brought up as a possibility, but I have yet to read the entire case file…and Charlie, I hate to say it, but we have to leave tomorrow. We should be at the airport at 8 A.M., so I'll pick you up at 7."

"Okay," said Charlie, getting up to clear his dish.

"Charlie," Alan said, "don't worry about your dishes. I'll get them. You go pack."

"I'll help you pack, Charlie," Amita said, clearing her own dishes.

"Thanks, Olive," Charlie replied as the two headed upstairs.

After they left, Don had a puzzled look on his face.

"What?" his father asked, laughing. "You've never heard of the famous female mathematician Olive Clio Hazlett?"

"Yeah, like you have?" Don countered.

"As of this morning, yes."

After helping his father wash the dishes, Don headed home.

NUMB3RS+NUMB3RS+NUMB3RS

Meanwhile, at the Fleinhardt residence, a quaint, red brick house about fifteen miles from Charlie's house, Larry and Megan were eating dinner.

Larry had prepared dinner for them: white corn, rice, cottage cheese, creamy potato soup, and cheesecake.

Between bites of corn, Megan said, "Larry, there's something I need to tell you."

Larry's fork hit the floor of the kitchen. "What?! It's time?! Already?"

"No, it's not that," replied Megan, rubbing Larry's hand, as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's just that the team was called today by the NYPD. We have to go to New York. But don't worry, my doctor said it's okay…and while I'm on that subject, guess what?"

Larry got up to get a new fork. "What?" he said, wondering what the news could be.

"We…are going to have TWINS!" Megan squealed.

"Are…are you se-serious? Th-that's incredulous!" Larry stammered. "Do you know the babies' genders?"

"A boy," Megan said, smiling. "And a little girl."

Larry grinned as he ate his cottage cheese. "Do you need me to take all three of you to the airport?"

"Nope," Megan replied. "Don said he'd take us."

"I think," Larry said, "that now would be a good time to discuss baby names. We haven't even done that yet… hopefully our children aren't as absent-minded as their father."

"Oh, Larry," Megan laughed.

The happy couple walked into the living room, leaving behind their dishes until later, when a little chocolate colored Dachshund trotted behind Larry.

"Larry, who is that?" Megan said, pointing at the tiny little dog.

"Oh, that's Fibonacci, I walked by the humane society today," Larry said, "and he was just so cute. I couldn't resist. Is his name okay?"

"I think it's very cute," Megan responded, sitting down on the couch next to Larry.

"So," Larry said. "What names do you like?"

"Hmmm…" Megan pondered. "Lawrence, Peter, Charles, Leo, Megan, Diane, Olivia… what about you?"

"I've always fancied the names Robert, John, Leah, Gianna, and Audra," Larry replied. "But we could also name the baby after who delivers it."

"So long as it isn't Gaylord Focker," Megan replied with a laugh.

"What about…Charles Tanner and Diane Marie for a girl?" Larry asked.

"I like those a lot…but right now, do you think that you could help me pack for my trip?"

"Surely," said Larry, following her up the stairs.

The two headed upstairs to their bedroom. The walls were peach, with a touch of melon, painted by the previous owners. Their king size bed was in a disheveled mess, but that was the way the two like it. Larry's dresser from his childhood was in a corner. Megan's was in the other corner. It had a hair dryer and a few tubes of lip gloss on it, nothing fancy. It also was home to the couple's wedding picture.

In a closet hung a suit, a dress, lots of jeans, and some FBI and CalSci sweaters. Some pillows from the child birth class they took, some towels, and a book by Dan Brown were on the floor.

"Okay," said Larry when Megan came into their room. "What do you need to take?"

"A few pairs of jeans, my pink Converse shoes…" she trailed off.

"Megan! Are you okay?" Larry asked, because Megan looked to be in pain. But then she started laughing.

"Larry, feel my stomach."

"Okay," Larry said, uneasily. Megan sat on the bed, and Larry, his hands on her belly, sat on a towel on the floor. Then he started laughing.

"They're kicking. That's awesome," said Larry. "There's actually two little living beings in there."

"I know," said Megan, holding onto a pillow.

"Me-megan, you don't look too well," said Larry.

"I…I don't know what's wrong," said Megan.

"Should I call an ambulance? The doctor?"

Before she could utter any more words, Megan vomited all over the pillow, the towel, and Larry's feet and pants.

"Oh, my," Larry said, looking as if he was going to faint.

"Oh, Larry," she said, "I'm so sorry. I'll be right back. I'm going to go to the bathroom."

"Okay," Larry said.

As Megan left the room, Larry sat on the bed. He took off his stained pants and socks, revealing his Marvin the Martian boxers. He rolled up the pillow, pants, and socks into the towel, and threw it away. He walked over to his dresser, and put on a pair of CalSci sweatpants.

After a few minutes, Larry knocked on the bathroom door. "Megan," he said, "are you okay?" "Yes," she replied. "Okay," he said. "Let me know if you need anything."

He walked back to their bedroom, and packed Megan's things for her. He included a little gift as well. A few minutes later, she came back into the bedroom. "Are you going to be okay for this trip?" he asked, still a little shaken. "I'll be fine."

"I packed your things for you." "You're so sweet," said Megan. "Not as much as you," replied Larry.

"I'm going to go to bed early tonight," said Megan. "Okay, good night, my star nebula," Larry replied. He walked downstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

**NUMB3RS/Law and Order: SVU Crossover – "Flowers in a Jar"**

**Chapter Three**

Meanwhile, at the Eppes' home, the engaged couple of Amita and Charlie were sleeping upstairs. Alan, however, was downstairs, looking at pictures of Don and Charlie from when they were in high school. He occasionally glanced up at the TV, a hockey game was on.

Just then, the phone rang. "Hello?" Alan answered.

"Hey, Alan. It's Larry."

"Hi, Larry. If you're looking for Charlie, he's already in bed."

"Actually, I was hoping that you were free tomorrow."

"I believe I am. Why do you ask?"

"Well, Megan told me tonight that the group is going to New York. And I was wondering if you'd like, and if possible, you could bring Amita, if you two would like to help me decorate and paint the babies' room…." Larry said.

"I'd love to help," Alan said. "And did you say _babies_, as in plural?"

Larry laughed sheepishly. "Yes, Alan, I did. Megan is going to have twins."

"That's wonderful!" Alan replied. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks. Do you think you could come over around 9:00?"

"Surely," Alan replied. "We'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, then, talk to you later."

"Good bye," Alan said.

Alan hung up the phone and silently set the photo album down, and walked to the basement to switch around some laundry and also to look for some paintbrushes. He wondered if he could find anything, considering Charlie had so much work down there.

Just as he was about to go up, something caught his eye. It was Charlie's dresser from when he was little. Then, Alan spotted a dolly. He decided he would ask Don to help him load it into his car tomorrow to give to Larry and Megan as a gift for the new babies.

As Alan walked upstairs, he heard something in the kitchen. "Charlie," Alan said, "what are you doing up? I thought you were sleeping."

"Hell, what _is_ sleep? I don't think I've ever had more than 6 hours of sleep at one time."

"Well, since you're up, would you like to look at some photos with me?"

"Uh, sure," Charlie said, trying to balance on his crutches. He followed Alan into the family room, but stopped. "I'm going to get a drink, Dad. Do you want anything?"

"No thanks, Charlie."

"Okay, I'll be in in a minute."

Charlie grabbed a can of Coke and put it in the front pocket of the Calsci hoodie he was wearing over his checkered pajama pants. Alan was just about to pick up the photo album when he heard a crash in the kitchen. "OH SHIT!" he heard Charlie yell. Alan ran into the kitchen. Charlie was on the floor, and Alan could tell he was in pain.


	4. Chapter 4

**NUMB3RS/Law and Order: SVU Crossover – "Flowers in a Jar"**

**Chapter Four**

**A/N**:Thanks for the reviews. They're very kind. This fanfic is gonna be long, so just a forewarning (I've got an idea for chapter 11 already!). Just a warning, the chapter contains a few bad words. R & R much appreciated!

"Easy," Alan instructed, helping Charlie onto the sofa in the living room. "It's okay." Alan grabbed the ice pack he'd brought in, wrapped in a towel, and gently held it on his youngest son's head.

Amita walked down the stairs. "Charlie, what happened?"

"He hit his head on the counter," Alan answered.

"Oh, Charlie," Amita said.

"Hey…gorgeous," Charlie replied.

"What do you know?" Amita said, as Alan walked into the kitchen.

"My name is Charles Edward Eppes."

"Who is in your family?" Amita said, certain Charlie was fine (it was only "a minor injury," by Alan's standards).

"Donald Alan Eppes is my older brother. He works for the FBI with David, Colby, and Megan who is married to Larry and is pregnant. Alan John Eppes is my dad. He's retired but likes to volunteer. You're Amita Ramunjan, soon-to-be-Eppes, my fiancée. You work at Calsci with me."

"Good," Amita laughed. "Two more questions. Spell _anomaly_ and _conceited_."

"You're kidding, right?" Charlie said, holding the ice pack on his head.

"Nope," Amita replied.

"Fine," Charlie answered. "Anomaly…a-n-o-m-a-l-y."

"Good job," Amita replied.

"Conceited. C-h-a-r-l-i-e-e-p-p-e-s, if you ask Larry."

"I guess that's good enough for me," Amita said. "Last question. Where did you propose to me?"

"When we were hiking at Arroyo Seco. It was a Saturday afternoon. We'd eaten at Pie 'n Burger before we left. We both had ordered the chicken pot pie."

"You passed the test," Amita said.

Alan came back into the room. "Well, Charlie, just to be safe, I want you to stay down here tonight, to avoid any more injuries. But I'll bring down your suitcase and laptop case. What clothes do you want to wear tomorrow? I'll bring them down here for you."

"My pi t-shirt, a pair of jeans, and my left black Converse Chuck Taylor," replied Charlie.

"Okay," Alan laughed.

"Good night, Charlie," Amita said. "See you in the morning."

As Alan and Amita went upstairs, Charlie fell into a deep sleep. He dreamt of Amita and the wedding they'd planned. Like the wedding of Alan's friend a few years ago, the Eppes-Ramunjan wedding was taking place in Charlie's backyard.

NUMB3RS

The next morning, Don Eppes' alarm clock rang at 6:30. He got up, quickly got dressed, and then packed, which he knew he should have done last night. He hauled his suitcase out to the black FBI SUV.

A few minutes later, he turned onto Hunter Street, where on Charles Edward Eppes was eating breakfast. "Charlie," Alan said, "I put your suitcase and laptop case next to the door for you." "Thanks, Dad."

Just then, the doorbell rang. "Door's open, Donnie!" Alan said. Don walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, Don."

"Hi Dad, Chuck."

"Don, it's Charlie."

"Yeah, I know."

"Muffin, **Donald**?" Charlie joked.

"No thank you, **Charles**."

"Hey, Don, will you come here for a sec?" asked Alan, as Charlie and Amita

drank their coffee.

"Sure, Dad, what is it?" Don asked as he followed his father into the basement. "I'm helping Larry paint the babies' room today as a surprise for Megan and I was wondering if you'd help me carry Charlie's old dresser to my car so I can give it to Larry as a gift."

"Sure, Dad."

The two Eppes carried the dresser up the stairs.

"Hey!" Charlie said, "What are you doing with my old dresser?"

"I'm giving it to Larry for the babies."

"Oh, okay," Charlie said, relieved.

After Alan and Don put the dresser into Alan's car, they came back inside. "You ready, Charlie?" "Yeah," said Charlie, grabbing another muffin. "Here, Don," said Alan, throwing a freezer size Ziploc bag of muffins to him. "For you and your friends. There are blueberry, chocolate chip, banana nut, and banana-chocolate chip."

"Wow, Dad, thanks."

"Sure, and Don, don't forget Charlie's suitcase."

"Okay."

"I can get my laptop case, Don. My iPod's in there."

"All right, Charlie."

"Okay, see you guys in a few weeks," Alan said.

"Bye, Dad," the boys said in unison. As they headed out to the SUV, Don told Charlie about the other two agents they'd be working with, as well as the NYPD cops.

The first agent Don told Charlie about as they drove was Marie Shaw, a young forensics expert. She went to a local college, and was the cousin of the singer from Styx, Tommy Shaw. The second wasn't really an agent, but more of a self-proclaimed techno-whiz. She'd gone to MIT and interned at the NSA for a year. Cryptography and coding were her specialty. Charlie thought here name, Dr. Grace Barnes, sounded oddly familiar.

"So, Don," Charlie said, "did Dad tell you about last night?"

"No," Don replied, helping his brother into the SUV. "What happened?"

"I hit my head on the counter, and Dad and Amita got to play doctor."

"My god Charlie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just because of these darned crutches. Do we have to pick up anybody else?"

"Yeah, I told the group I'd pick them up."

"Okay," Charlie said, turning on his laptop.

"Don't tell me you're working."

"Yup."

A few minutes later, Don pulled up to David's house. David came out of his house, threw a tennis ball to his dog, and walked over to the SUV. After placing his suitcase in the back, he got in and sat next to Charlie.

"Hey, Charlie. What happened to you?"

"I went hiking with Larry and Amita and broke my ankle and a few toes."

"Ouch," David replied.

As the three men rode along, Charlie entered grades onto his laptop, and David and Don talked about the hockey game, warning Charlie not to bring any math into the conversation.

Colby and the Fleinhardts lived on the same street, so Colby had walked over to Larry's that morning. As Don pulled up to the house, Larry handed Megan Fibonacci and went inside to get her bag for her. Colby put his army green suitcase in the back and hopped in and sat next to David.

"Broken ankle and toes," Charlie said, not looking up from the screen. "Are you psychic or something, Charlie?" "No," he said, looking up now. "You know I don't believe in that crap."

"Oh, right, whiz kid," Colby said.

As Megan sat in the front passenger seat, Larry put her bag in the back, took Fibonacci from Megan, and leaned into the window area. "Hey, Charles," he said. "How're the toes and ankle?"

"Exactly the same. Covered with the always stylish and sexy cream cast." Larry laughed and Fibonacci barked.

"All right, see you in a few weeks, Larry," Don said.

"I love you, Megan," Larry called out.

"I love you more!" she said back, and with that, the group was on their way to the airport.

On the way, Charlie continued to enter grades, Colby listened to Styx, Kansas, and The Who on his iPod, David read The Da Vinci Code, Megan slept, and Don just drove.

About half an hour later, Don pulled into the parking lot of the Los Angeles Airport. "Hey guys," Don called out, "we're here!" "Well, that didn't take long," remarked David. "Hey, Colby?" said Don. "Yeah?" "Grab Megan's suitcase and I'll grab Charlie's."

As they walked into the airport, Don informed them that they'd be going to gate 515. Don led the group through the airport. Colby followed Don, followed by David, Megan, and Charlie, bringing up the rear.

The group put their bags on the security belt, as well as Charlie's. Don went through security first. The security sensor went off. Don took his gun out of its holster and went through again.

This time, the jean-FBI polo-ADIDAS-wearing FBI agent remained silent as he walked through security, though the security guard was still a bit suspicious. Don held the rest of the group's guns as they walked through. The security guard looked at Charlie apprehensively.

"You with them?" he asked Charlie.

"Umm, ye-yeah," Charlie said.

"Got any weapons on yeh?"

"Do you consider crutches a weapon?" Charlie said. "Then, no, I have no weapons. I only consult for them."

Charlie went through security, grabbed his laptop case, and continued with the group. "Got any weapons on yeh?" Don said, imitating the guard. David and Colby laughed.

Just then, an airport vehicle came screaming towards the group. "Don! Watch out!" screamed Colby. The vehicle's breaks squealed to a halt, nearly missing Don's shoelace.

"Hey, Ronnie!" Don said.

"You know this guy?" said David.

"Yup," replied Don. "Charlie and I went to high school with him." Megan, David, Colby, and the Eppes brothers climbed in.

"Charlie," said Ronnie, "you haven't changed a bit! You still a math bitch?"

Charlie looked embarrassed. "He's now using his math skills as a professor at Calsci and consulting for the FBI," said Don. "And I'm engaged to be married, don't forget," Charlie added.

"No way! The kid who beat me and Don at chess when he was 7 is gonna be a married man. Congrats!"

"I thought you only needed two people for chess," said David. "The player against Charlie receives a partner," Don said as Ronnie drove them to their gate. "As a safety, one player against Charlie… that's like walking into a bear cage walking reeking of steak and chicken," said Ronnie with a laugh.

"Who's the lucky lady, Charlie?"

"Amita Ramunjan. She's a recent employee of Calsci. I've known her for a few years."

"The name sounds familiar. Didn't she win that Martin prize thing a few years

ago?"

"Ummm, Milton Prize, but yes."

"Well, have a great trip," Ronnie said as he pulled up to the gate.

"Thanks!" the group said in unison, heading towards the plane.


	5. Chapter 5

**NUMB3RS/Law and Order: SVU Crossover – "Flowers in a Jar"**

**Chapter Five**

**A/N**:I am really sorry about the lack of updates. School is hectic, need I say more? I don't own CBS or NBC characters. I do own Andrew, Grace, and Marie (who are yet to appear).

A few minutes after boarding their plane, the crew settled in. Colby put Charlie's suitcase, along with his own, in the overhead compartment. Don placed his and Megan's and David's in another. They all settled into their seats.

Charlie turned on his laptop, pulled up CalSci's grading system, put in his earbuds, and began to enter the pile of graded tests he'd brought.

Colby flipped on his own laptop, put in a DVD version of the _Return to Paradise_ concert video his parents bought him for Christmas, and started to jam along with the beat of Todd Sucherman's drums.

David simply grabbed his paperback version of _The Da Vinci Code_, and silently began to read. He'd read the book once before, but enjoyed it too much to not read it again.

Megan grabbed some knitting supplies out of her carry-on bag (which was a baby shower gift from Amita), and was about to zip it up when something caught her eye. A small gift, wrapped in plain blue paper, caught her eye. She reached in to grab it. Attached was a note. It read:

_Dear Megan,_

_I hope that you have a safe trip and are comfortable. New York is a very exciting city. Though I've been there but once, I enjoyed it._

_Charles and I went for a weekend during a spring break at Princeton. His mother decided to go home to California, and I offered to take care of him._

_He probably remembers more than I, but it was a lovely trip, so enjoy yours._

_Love, _

_Larry _

She opened the gift and found that it was a stuffed teddy bear with a telescope. Megan laughed to herself.

Don, by this time, was exhausted, and just about to fall asleep when the pilot, a young man of about 30, came around to greet all of his passengers.

"My name's Rich Goodwin," the pilot said. "I hope that this four-hour flight isn't too terribly boring."

"Thanks," laughed Colby.

Just as she was about to begin knitting, the pilot came aboard the plane. "Hello, all," he said, "my name is Rich Goodwin, and I'll be you're pilot today."

"Nice to meet you. Special Agent Don Eppes, FBI."

"Ooh, the government official," said Goodwin.

Colby and David introduced themselves.

"Don't stand up," Rich said to Charlie. "It's okay."

"Oh, thanks. I'm Charlie…their math consultant."

Rich proceeded to greet Megan.

"Megan Fleinhardt, forensic profiler."

"Don't think that I didn't recognize you, Megan."

Megan looked puzzled as Colby turned to her, with an expression that said "You know this guy?"

"Don't you remember, Megan? Mr. Harrison's 10th grade biology class?"

"Oh, my gosh. Ricky Goodwin. You were quite the trouble maker in that class."

Rich laughed. "I thought I recognized you. Congratulations," he said, pointing to Megan's stomach.

Megan laughed. "My husband and I just picked names last night over dinner."

"Oh, really?" asked David.

"Yep. The little boy is going to be Tanner Charles and the little girl is going to be Sara Marie."

"Well, all, have a nice flight," Rich concluded.

So, it's not much of an update, but I'll try to get one in per week if I can.


End file.
